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0 pointsgonzobonzo1y ago0 comments

I've known people who were going to some of the top private schools in the U.S. who were still paying for weekend math classes because the schools weren't reaching them at their level.

Unfortunately, most educators simply don't seem to care much about high performing students, and they're fine with them not learning anything in the class as long as as the teachers are hitting their goals. I imagine the same attitude is harming the other students as well, but it's especially easier to see with high performing students where their needs are often openly ignored.

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kenjackson1y ago

It’s easier to see with kids who have stronger behavioral or learning needs.

I was a 3rd grade teachers aide and I saw the distinction first hand. A gifted child was given advanced textbooks and space to work at his own pace. The teacher didn’t really teach much, but the child was learning.

Conversely there was another kid who just got headphones to watch videos in the back of the room. I guess learn st his own pace, except the videos didn’t actually seem educational to me. I think it was mostly just done to keep him preoccupied.

poulsbohemian1y ago

>Unfortunately, most educators simply don't seem to care much about high performing students

If you really believe this, then sue your school district. In my area, there was a district where parents believed high performers were not getting the necessary resources and through a combination of legal pressure and partnership with the school district, made it a priority in the same way that district had prioritized education for other specialized needs. Don't blame the average teacher though - they are doing what they have budget for and what they've been directed from administration.

rahimnathwani1y ago

  If you really believe this, then sue your school district.

AIUI, California school districts are under no obligation to meet kids where they're at, i.e. if a kid is ahead they don't have to be offered differentiated content or acceleration.

gonzobonzoOP1y ago

> Don't blame the average teacher though - they are doing what they have budget for and what they've been directed from administration.

It's worth discussing the administrators and the budget (though our budget is much higher than the national average), but why should we reflexively dismiss concerns about the teachers? There are advanced students who only get acknowledged as such when the teachers tell them "don't do that, we haven't learned it yet."

There's a large difference between trying to engage advanced students with limited resources, and not trying to engage or even acknowledge advanced students at all.

jmb991y ago

> If you really believe this, then sue your school district.

It’s very funny (in a depressing way) reading this sentence as a non-American.

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